Vendetta
by DD42
Summary: The year is X793. A gunslinger with a sordid past has joined up with Fairy Tail. He is quiet, ruthless and a master of his craft. And he has one goal in mind; fulfilling a Vendetta. *RATING MAY CHANGE*


_**Vendetta**_

A/N: Hello and welcome everyone to my second full-scale fanfic. For those of you who are not familiar with me, I welcome you and hope you enjoy the first of many chapters. For those of you who are familiar with me, I welcome you to another adventure into the Fairy Tail fan universe.

I proudly present to you; _**Vendetta.**_

As always, I hope you will give your honest opinion with your review and if you have any questions regarding this story feel free to ask. Just please don't be too harsh with your criticisms…there's only so much a guy can take.

I will try and alternate between these two 'fics but _**Kids**_, my other story, is kind of my main priority as writing goes at the moment.

With that said, let's begin!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail; Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics USA own it. If I did own Fairy Tail…well let's just say some things would be different. If any of my OC characters in some way shape or form resemble or share a relation to someone living or deceased, _**it's purely coincidental**_.

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DESCRIPTION: The year is X793. A gunslinger with a sordid past has joined up with Fairy Tail. He is quiet, ruthless and a master of his craft. And he has one goal in mind; fulfilling a Vendetta.

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Vendetta: A Fairy Tail fanfic.

CHAPTER 1: The Hunters Appearance

"_I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come and see!" I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hell was following with him."_

_-Revelation 6:7-8_

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_**X793**_

The sun overhead was hot and unforgiving on the Badlands of Desierto.

The Badlands were an area of the arid country known for its unforgiving climate and rough, even dangerous terrain which consisted of canyons and harsh deserts. People tended to avoid this part of the land and many who ventured into it barely made it out alive.

However, these matters were lost on the man who was currently running through a single, shallow canyon as fast as he could. He was running for his life after all.

The man, who was normally well groomed and dressed, was drenched in sweat and blood as he frantically looked over his shoulder to see if anything was behind him. His eyes were wide in terror for he had good reason to be.

He was being hunted.

The blood that stained his expensive business suit was not his, however. The blood came from the hired goons that had acted as his security team… a team that was now dead, leaving the man on his own.

The man suddenly tripped on his footing and fell face first onto the hard stone. The man let out a pitiful groan as he slowly rose on his hands and knees.

The sound of loose rock echoing off the canyon walls caused the man's head to snap up as more prominent sound reached his ears.

It was the sound of footsteps.

_Tick-tap_

_Tick-tap_

Slow and methodical, they seemed to be getting closer.

The man, despite his better judgment, let out a gasp of terrified air. He rose to his feet and continued to run.

_Tick-tap_

_Tick-tap_

He was getting closer; he could feel it!

_Tick-tap_

_Tick-tap_

He had to get away, he had to get away from him!

_Tick-tap_

_Tick-tap_

The canyon's steep and narrow walls soon closed into a large cavern that opened up revealing high, natural rock walls with a massive opening allowing the sun and clear blue sky to be seen. The man ran to the nearest wall and attempted to climb. But the walls were too smooth and the man fell to the rock bellow, unable to have found grip or purchase on the stone. The man stood up and frantically searched about the cavern to find some sort of exit.

There was none…the man was trapped.

_Tick…tap_

The sound of the boots the man had instantly come to dread echoed out from the canyon. The man swallowed hard and with ragged breathe, he slowly turned around.

And there, standing before him…was the man he considered to be Death incarnate.

He had seemingly had come out of nowhere, like a ghost. His men had been dead within seconds of the hunter's arrival. The man had been sparred only to be unmercifully chased like a wild animal.

He was tall and well built, his broad shoulders set back in relaxed but rigid manner. He wore a dark brown duster coat that went down to his ankles with armor plating affixed to his shoulders and forearms. A pair of hands covered by gloves that reached the middle of his fingers lay at his sides. Beneath his coat, an armored vest could clearly be seen along with a heavy gunslinger belt, khaki cargo pants, and armored shin guards which covered the upper half of his laced up combat boots. . A black cowboy hat adorned his head while a coyote brown shemagh was wrapped around his neck.

As far as weapons went, the man could see leather straps on each of the man's thighs which indicated some form of holster resided there. On his back in a halberd was the end of a katana sword while the butt of a large rifle could also be seen slung across the halberd strap. In the man's right hand, was a very large revolver.

But the most distinguishing feature that the man focused on was the mask that hid the man's face. The hunter's eyes were hidden by an ever-present darkness thanks to the angular shaped eyeholes that connected at the bridge of his nose while three crimson stripes ran down the mask. It was if someone had dipped their index, middle and ring fingers in paint and drew them down the center of the mask.

The pursuer stepped forward and the man fell back onto his behind as he scrambled back against the wall.

"Wait!" The man cried as he extended his hand outward in a desperate, pleading manner.

The hunter continued to walk forward.

"Listen! LISTEN TO ME I BEG YOU!" The man cried.

The hunter did not seem to acknowledge what the man was saying.

"I know who you are! You're a bounty hunter right!? A gun for hire!?"

The hunter stopped just as he reached the man, his shadow casting darkly over his prey.

"I can pay you! I can pay you two, three times the amount you're currently being paid!"

The man tried to reason with the hunter.

"Just let me live and I'll pay you whatever you want; just please don't kill me!" The man begged, his hands clasped together in a pleading manner.

The hunter was quiet as he looked down at his prey.

"My motive for hunting you isn't for something as trivial as money, you fool." The hunter spoke, his mask making his voice possess a strange metallic ring to it.

He then proceeded to kick the man back with a vicious kick to the stomach. The man lurched back as he clutched his abdomen in pain before starring up at the hunter with wide, horrified eyes.

"No…my motive is something more complex than monetary gain…but it is something pure yet terrifying in its simplicity."

The hunter raised the revolver and aimed it at the man's head.

"As I told you before…I am here to kill you for one simple reason."

The hunter used his thumb to cock the revolvers spurred hammer back.

"And that reason; is revenge."

With those words, the hunter pulled the revolvers trigger and the gunshot echoed throughout the cavern.

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_**1 Week Later**_

The bright, cloudless sky shined brightly over the town of Magnolia the sun's light warming the afternoon cooled air.

The residents of the town went about their business as they did every day, taking advantage of the warm weather. Even though it was the beginning of summer, Fiore was experiencing an early cold spell in the mornings which had caught many people off guard across the land.

So, people took advantage of the weather when they could.

However, none of this seemed to be noticed by the town's most rowdy but beloved residents.

The men and woman of Fairy Tail.

"Order up!" Mirajane Strauss said as she lifted up a platter of drinks.

The barista made her way through the groups of people that filled the guild hall before stopping at one of the tables in the back.

"Here you go guys." Mira said with a smile as she helped place the drinks before the table's occupants.

"Thanks Mira." Lucy Dragneel said as she grabbed her and her husband's mugs. Lucy then slid the drink over to Natsu which earned her a kiss on the forehead from her husband/mate.

In the past two years, Natsu and Lucy's appearances had changed since the end of X791.

Natsu was taller and had gained a little more muscle mass but other than that he kept his hair in the short and spiky manner everyone recognized along with Igneel's scarf still wrapped around his neck . He now wore a dark, navy blue jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and with the Fairy Tail emblem on the back. Underneath his jacket he wore a form fitting t-shirt. He still wore his baggy white pants but had substituted his sandals for a pair of leather, "tanker" style boots. A silver wedding ring now adorned his left ring finger.

Lucy now kept her long, golden blonde hair tied into a braid that reached the middle of her back while she kept a few strands of hair loose to frame her face. She wore a blue, short sleeved button up shirt with the first two buttons undone and a white short skirt. Her leather belt and black, knee high boots completed the look. She too wore a silver wedding ring on her left ring finger.

The rest of the Tables occupants included Gray and Juvia Fullbuster, Gajeel and Levy Redfox and eight year old Asuka Connell. Natsu and Lucy were letting Asuka stay with them while her parents Alzack and Bisca were out on a job in Desierto. They had left earlier in the previous week and were scheduled to return sometime soon.

"Lucy, when are my mama and papa coming back?" Asuka asked as she glanced back at the main door again, adjusting her cowboy had as she did so.

Lucy smiled at the child and placed a gentle hand on the younger girls shoulder.

"Don't worry Asuka, they'll be back soon enough, you'll see."

Asuka looked back at Lucy and gave a small, appreciative smile.

"I hope they're alright," Levy whispered to Gajeel, "Desierto can be a nasty place if you're not careful."

Gajeel grunted in response.

"It's the wild, wild east out there. If you don't know what yer doing there, yer in for a world of hurt."

"They'll be fine." Gray said, "This isn't their first rodeo, they'll be fine."

"Besides, you two don't want to worry Asuka-chan now do you?" Juvia asked.

Like Lucy and Natsu, the other members at the table had also changed their appearances.

Levy's outfit now consisted of a black, sleeveless button down shirt and a pair of khaki brown cargo pants she kept rolled up to her knees. She had also let her hair grow out to the middle of her back, but had kept her yellow hair band in its usual spot. A pair of dark framed glasses now adorned her eyes.

Gajeel's outfit hadn't changed much. The only noticeable changes were that he now wore a black, nylon/cotton M65 style jacket over a gray muscle shirt with his pants and boots remaining the same as they always have. He had also cut his hair shorter to where it reached the base of his neck and had started to wear his two colored bandana more often around his forehead.

Both Levy and Gajeel wore gold wedding bands on their left ring fingers.

Gray was taller now and his already broad shoulders had increased in muscularity by a significant margin. His hair was still spiky but he had let his bangs grow out just a little bit and he had two silver bands piercing his right ear. He still wore his white and blue trimmed jacket only this latest version reached his ankle in the way a duster or trench coat would. Underneath it he wore a simple black t-shirt, his silver necklace sticking out in contrast, a pair of olive drab cargo pants with a heavy belt and a pair of well used black boots.

Juvia now kept her hair tied into a long pony tail which she kept draped over her right shoulder with a small flower like hair clip woven into the tie of her pony tail. She now wore a navy blue turtle neck sweater which hugged her curvaceous form and white skirt that went past her ankles. A pair of black, knee high boots completed the look.

"Still…I can't help but worry about them. I've heard from people passing through town that there have been a bunch of bandit raids out in Desierto recently."

"Bandits, pfft," Gray said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Alzack and Bisca can handle a bunch of bandits. When they work together they're a force to be reckoned with."

"There are other things out there to be worried about." A voice said.

The mages turned around to see Wakaba Mine sitting at the table adjacent to theirs, prepping a cigar to be lit.

"What do mean?" Gray asked inquisitively as the others around them began to take notice of the conversation. As much as Natsu and Lucy tried to prevent Asuka from doing so, she too began to pay attention to what Wakaba had said.

Wakaba lit his cigar before exhaling a small puff of smoke.

"I recently caught up with a buddy of mine who works the trade routes out in the east that there's been a bunch of shootings recently."

"Shootings, you mean like gun battles and stuff?" Natsu asked.

"Yep," Wakaba said with a nod, "full blown firefights. We're talking about shootings in which entire gangs or buildings are being riddled with bullets and seemingly wiped out within a matter of minutes. And we're not talking about the magic kind of bullets either."

Wakaba exhaled another puff of smoke.

"And the scary part, it all seems to be the work of one guy."

"Get real Wakaba, do you realize how much fire power or skill you'd need to inflict that kind of damage. Alzack and Bisca are good but even they don't go that far." Gajeel said.

"I'm telling you the truth. My buddy hasn't lied to me before and I see no reason as to why he should now. Whoever this guy is, he seems to be on some sort of mission."

"What kind of mission?" Lucy asked.

Wakaba shrugged.

"Nobody really knows. The guy doesn't stick around long enough after a shooting to give anyone a real clue."

Wakaba began to scratch his head in thought.

"My buddy did say that there's this rumor going around about this stranger. According to what my buddy heard, the guy is supposedly a bounty hunter or someone of that sort. Apparently he's been in Desierto for the past month now and during that time it almost seems like he's been searching for something or someone."

"Like what?" Asuka asked.

Wakaba shrugged.

"It's anybody's guess really. However, the people this guy has blown away seem to be associated with either a crime group or have been tied to some very shady people. The guy could be a vigilante for all we know. But I will tell you this, now this is something my buddy can vouch for since he was dragged along for the ride, about something that happened last week."

Wakaba's story now seemed to have caught the entire attention of everyone in the Guild.

"Apparently this happened before Alzack and Bisca took their job. Out in the badlands this local crime boss by the name of Marcus was going out for a meeting of some sorts. The area he went to is remote and many people try to avoid it so it makes the perfect place for any secret or shady business. Marcus was the head of this crime group that practically controlled this one town along the trade routes and he was looking to expand his business with another group. So he went out there with a bunch of his personal guards and lieutenants to see the deal through. Two days passed and Marcus and his crew hadn't returned. So the rest of the group went to the meeting place and found that not only was Marcus dead but his crew and the group he was meeting with were wiped out. Now here is where things get interesting. From what my buddy told me, all evidence shows that the group was ambushed and that a large firefight broke out, the attacker having seemingly appeared out of nowhere. However, the evidence shows that the attacker acted alone and that he was skilled enough to kill off the groups within a matter of minutes."

Wakaba held up his index finger to emphasize the point.

"One man took out thirty people who were reportedly loaded up with firearms and hand to hand weapons. One man."

Wakaba let the fact sink in

"Now here's where things take another interesting turn. Whoever attacked Marcus's group saved Marcus for last. A widespread search found Marcus a mile away in a cavern; dead. He had been killed, execution style, with a single bullet to the head."

Wakaba took another drag of his cigar.

"The attacker had chased him down the way a hunter does his prey. This guy wanted Marcus to suffer from fear as he was chased. This means that whoever killed Marcus knew him."

"Could've been a rival gang or something like that. Just because this Marcus guy was chased down doesn't mean that the guy knew his attacker. It could have even been one of his own guys." Gajeel said, a skeptic look in his eyes.

"You raise a good point but here's the thing. Nobody else outside of Marcus's group knew about the meeting. It was kept under wraps for months. My buddy only found out about this whole meeting business when he eavesdropped on conversations out to the meeting spot. And nobody in Marcus's crew was skilled enough to inflict the amount of damage done to the bodies. The attacks were precise, efficient and traumatic."

Wakaba looked at everyone who was listening.

"The attacker had either gotten lucky, or…he knew where to look for Marcus. He knew how the man worked."

"…Do you think my mama and papa are going to meet that man?" Asuka asked, the worry clearly evident in her voice.

"The odds are very unlikely," a voice said, "I'm sure your parents are just fine."

Everyone turned around to see Master Makarov exiting his office. Makarov's appearance hadn't changed much at all over the two years. The only difference was that he now sported a small pair of glasses that rested on the middle of his nose.

"I too have heard the stories coming out of the East and if anything, the man has probably moved on to another place or another country."

He then looked at all who were assembled.

"I will tell you this. If any harm does come to Alzack and Bisca, we will avenge our nakama, of that you can be sure."

That brought a series of cheers and battle cries from all the members of the Guild.

Natsu, however, had stood up so quickly that he accidently bumped into Cana who was sitting right behind him. This action had caused Cana to spill the deck of tarot cards she was shuffling.

"Oh, jeez Natsu for crying out loud." Cana groaned as she bent down to pick up her cards.

"Sorry!" Natsu said and immediately bent down to help Cana retrieve her cards.

"No, it's fine I can get them." Cana said as she tried to turn down Natsu's help.

Natsu persisted however.

"Natsu, I'm fine I can-WAIT!" Cana cried out.

Natsu froze.

"What is it Cana?" Natsu asked.

From the pile of cards, Cana picked up two cards that were face up. Her brow furrowed and her lips became set in a frown.

"These two cards…they're the "Death" and "Wheel of Fortune" cards."

Natsu swallowed hard.

"D-death!? Is that bad or something!?" Natsu said as he paled.

"…I don't know. There are many way's these cards can be interpreted. For instance, the Death Card can either mean the death of a person or it can mean change. The same goes for the Wheel of Fortune, which can mean a sudden change or destiny. But as to why these cards were chosen…I can only guess." Cana said as re-shuffled her cards.

She found this little incident to be very…curious, would be the right word.

"_I'll have to look into this."_ Cana thought as she set her cards down.

"We're back!" A voice called out suddenly when the door to the Guild opened. Asuka gasped loudly in surprise and joy.

"Mama, Papa!" Asuka cried out.

Standing in the doors threshold was the husband and wife team themselves; Alzack and Bisca Connell.

Asuka immediately ran up to her parents and was instantly in their embrace.

Alzack's attire hadn't changed much from the one he wore two years prior. He still wore his trademark poncho but now sported a pair of fingerless gunslinger gloves on his hands. He also wore a pair of three pattern desert camouflage cargo pants along with a pair of laced up desert terrain boots. His two revolvers now hung from his belt in a pair of quick draw, leather holsters. His hair had grown slightly but still retained its spikiness and his ears now had two pairs of silver piercings.

Bisca's attire still consisted of her trademark hat and bikini top along with her hair kept in a braid. However, she now wore a white vest that was buttoned in the middle, still leaving her chest and belly button exposed. Her arm bands had been replaced by black, full length fingerless gloves that went from her knuckles and above her elbows. Her new appearance was completed by a dark brown short skirt and knee high boots.

There was a very noticeable difference with the two though. Alzack's right arm was in a sling and a series of bandages were wrapped around his left. Bisca as well had bandages on her arms and her left leg. A gauss bandage with tape holding down covered her right cheek.

"Holy crap you two what the hell happened?" Gray asked as the others formed around the two. Asuka too noticed her parent's condition and her look changed to that of surprise and panic.

"We had a little trouble out East." Alzack said as he brought Asuka into another hug to soothe her concern.

"A little trouble!? You guys look like you went through a full scale battle!" Lucy cried out.

"We did get into a large fight," Bisca said, "And we were nearly done for. But we were saved at the last minute."

"By who?" Makarov asked.

"That would be me." A voice with a metallic ring said.

Stepping into the Guild Hall, from behind Alzack and Bisca, was someone no one recognized.

He was tall and well built, his broad shoulders set back in relaxed but rigid manner. He wore a dark brown duster coat that went down to his ankles with armor plating affixed to his shoulders and forearms. A pair of hands covered by gloves that reached the middle of his fingers lay at his sides. Beneath his coat, an armored vest could clearly be seen along with a heavy gunslinger belt, khaki cargo pants, and armored shin guards which covered the upper half of his laced up combat boots. . A black cowboy hat adorned his head while a coyote brown shemagh was wrapped around his neck.

As far as weapons went, there were leather straps on each of the man's thighs which indicated some form of holster resided there. On his back in a halberd was the end of a katana sword while the butt of a large rifle could also be seen slung across the halberd strap.

But the most distinguishing feature, however, was the mask that hid the man's face. The man's eyes were hidden by an ever-present darkness thanks to the angular shaped eyeholes that connected at the bridge of his nose while three crimson stripes ran down the mask. It was if someone had dipped their index, middle and ring fingers in paint and drew them down the center of the mask.

The man was intimidating but had a non-threatening atmosphere about him.

Makarov stepped forward, his hand extended.

"On behalf of myself and the rest of the members of Fairy Tail, you have my sincere gratitude for saving two of our nakama."

The stranger took Makarov's hand and gave a firm shake.

"You're more than welcome mister...?"

"Dreyar. Makarov Dreyar. I am the current Guild Master of Fairy Tail."

"It's an honor to meet you Master Dreyar; I've heard a lot about your guild."

"Thank you. May I ask as to who you are?"

"My name is Keegan. Wyatt Keegan."

"Once again Mister Keegan, you have my thanks for helping Bisca and Alzack."

"Yeah, if it weren't for Wyatt here, we would have been goners." Alzack said.

"I was just a man in the right place at the right time."

"Regardless, you are in our debt." Bisca said.

A series of "thanks" and "nice jobs" were called out by various members of the Guild.

"If I may ask, why have you followed Bisca and Alzack? I take it you aren't exactly from these parts given your attire."

Alzack cocked his head slightly.

"And you have an accent that I can't seem to place."

Wyatt chuckled.

"I get that a lot. I'm just a man from different places who's looking for a place to settle down."

"A man with serious shooting skills." Alzack muttered under his breathe.

"And by settle down, you mean?" Makarov asked, having a feeling where this question was heading.

Wyatt nodded.

"Yes; I followed Alzack and Bisca in hopes of joining Fairy Tail."

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A/N: So, what do you guys think? I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter, there'll be plenty more to come. I'll get to work on the next one as soon as I can.

As stated before, I'm working on a separate story at the moment so I'll see if I can balance out working on the two stories.

I'll see how it works out. Until then, I'll try to update this when I can, but my other story is my priority at the moment…I hope this doesn't discourage you from further reading.

I appreciate constructive criticism but not to the point where it tears apart my self-esteem. If you have any questions, just post them in your review and I'll be happy to answer in the next chapter.

Until then, I'll see you next time! Adios!

P.S. In case I don't update soon…*author takes a deep breathe*MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!


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